When things go bump in the night, Logan bumps back. Vampires, demons, succubi—you name it, he’s fought it. His job as Paladin angel warrior is to protect humans. Not fall for one.

She Never Believed in Divine Intervention…Until Now

Detective Jessica Waters protects humans too-with her Glock and a good set of handcuffs. She doesn’t believe in fate. But if anyone looks like a gift from the gods, it’s Logan. And he clearly knows more about her case than he’s letting on…

Deliver Me From Temptation is the second book in Tes Hilaire’s Paladin Warriors series. The book can easily be read as a standalone and offers a fresh take on the whole Angels vs. Demons plot. Paladins, the heroes of Deliver Me From Temptation, aren’t angels in the sense that they’ve got wings and a halo, but are rather “an order of warriors descendant from volunteer angels who answered His (God’s) call to leave heaven… and come down to earth and wage the war against Lucifer and his minions”. [Source] So, because of this there is more history than theology and not a lot of religious undertones, which I like.

The world building and lore of Deliver Me From Temptation is solid and well put together. The world is explained organically without any info-dumping or too obvious questions and answer sessions between the protagonists, Logan and Jessica. At a certain point I did feel like some of the lore was starting to take on a bit of a Jedi-esque kind of vibe, but it wasn’t too overwhelming or distracting.

I really enjoyed main characters Logan and Jessica and felt they were well developed and genuine. Jessica did kind of give me an (early books) Anita Blake vibe, but considering that Anita Blake is one of the matriarchs of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance, this kind of thing is bound to happen.

Deliver Me From Temptation had a strong start but about two-thirds in I felt like some of the plot started to get a bit too convenient and the actions of the protagonist too predictable. I actually had to force myself to finish the book because I, frankly, got a bit bored. I was happy with the ending once I did finish and think that there was a great cliff-hanger free segue into the third book, but by that time it was too little too late.

If you like books with Angels vs. Demons, minimal religiosity and strong characters give Deliver Me From Temptation a try, maybe it will be a better fit for you.